secrets of a stylist: the little things.

May was a shit show. I don't know what Mercury in Retrograde really means, but I swear it causes some weird shit to go down in the universe.

May was tough, I'm not going to lie. For me it was a case of Covid, my water heater died (it's 4 years old!) and flooded part of the basement, I found a nail in my tire, and my favorite: a dental surgery (surprise!).

I'm still dealing with some things: Covid brain (I almost put the butter in the dishwasher instead of the fridge the other day), the tire (getting it replaced this weekend) and the dental surgery (soft foods for 2 weeks which means NO CHIPS! (nooooooo!) and NO excessive talking (hahahahah!). I'm glad it's over, but what it taught me is to enjoy the little things and not to sweat the small stuff. I think I have been a small stuff sweater for awhile. I'm working on letting go. I do enjoy the little things but sometimes I need to be reminded again.

Friday I was doing laundry and as I was folding everything fresh from the dryer, I put on a pair of warm sweatpants under my dress. I literally closed my eyes and just enjoyed the warmth for a few seconds. Such a little thing but it felt so good.

My dear friend had a major surgery this week and I was able to spend almost 3 hours with her in her hospital room. At one point, we laughed so hard it made her pain worse for the moment. My face was still swollen and sore from my tooth surgery and neither of us should have been laughing like that but we couldn't help it. I loved that moment. Such a little thing but it felt so good.

Stella has been hogging the bed lately and I have not been sleeping as well as I should be. She's only 40 pounds! How can a dog that size take up a king size bed???? But then I wake up to her sweet little face (sometimes on my pillow) and everything melts away. It's that moment that I feel so lucky to be her person. Zoe does the cutest good morning stretches and then gives me a bunch of mama loves and rubs her face on my hair. She makes these little cute noises too. It is my favorite way to wake up. If only I could program her as my alarm clock. Such little things but they bring me so much joy!

My view this morning.

My parents are visiting this weekend! I LOVE spending time with them no matter what we are doing. On their first day here, we went to the ARC, my local thrift store. My mom is the ultimate bargain hunter and loves to shop too (I think that's where I get it from). We tried on children's hats to send pictures to my sister. They shop together a lot and always send me the goofiest pics. Such a little thing but again, so much joy!

Channeling our inner Gilligan!

My parents are also dog people...definitely where I get it from! So many dog loves this weekend...so many little moments of joy.

My dad giving Stella a massage. We call it "The Murphy".

The snuggle is real.

These small moments in time is what I live for. Being present and acknowledging what I feel. I think we get so wrapped up in getting shit done that we don't stop and enjoy the little things or allow ourselves to see or appreciate them. Life is busy. And short. It's the little things that make this life worth living. Finding those bits of joy in what sometimes seems like a never ending shit show. My friend Kari calls it a miracle in the mundane. I like that. You can check out her blog here for some serious inspiration.

stylist tip: Try the sweatpants fresh out of the dryer. It's like a little warm hug for your legs.

stylist secret: I hate the dentist. The smells, the sounds, giant hands in my mouth, the laying flat on my back, the bright lights...all of it. I would rather have a mammogram than go to the dentist. The first time I had a mammogram, the technician and I were discussing going to the dentist and she said she'd rather run naked down I-25 than go to the dentist. I'm with her! And I'm sure I would be naked and afraid (and you all know how I feel about that!).

My mom also hates the dentist (I think that's where I get it from!). I just found out that when she was a little girl, she punched her dentist in the stomach. What? Go mom!

What little thing brings you joy? Also: mammogram or dentist?

Thanks for reading! Until next time...cheers! xo tina